Lieutenant Cecil Roy Richards was an Australian
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
of World War I. He was credited with twelve aerial victories.
Early life
Richards enlisted on 16 March 1915. He served on ground duty in both Gallipoli and France before transferring to the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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in late 1916.
Aerial service
Details of Richards' training are not recorded. However, he was assigned to
No. 20 Squadron RFC as a pilot flying the
Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2
Between 1911 and 1914, the Royal Aircraft Factory used the F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) designation for three quite different aircraft that shared only a common "Farman" pusher biplane layout.
The third "F.E.2" type was operated as a day and n ...
d. He drove down an
Albatros D.V
The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...
on 14 June 1917 for his first win. He continued to score for the next two months, through 16 August 1917, including four victories on 17 July. His observer/gunner for nine of these victories was
John Cowell. Richards' final tally was four enemy airplanes destroyed, eight driven down out of control.
[The Aerodrome websit]
Retrieved on 17 March 2010.
On 19 August 1917, he was shot down and wounded by
Ernst Hess
Leutnant Ernst Hess HOH IC was a World War I flying ace credited with 17 confirmed and four unconfirmed aerial victories. Hess was one of a few World War I pilots involved in aviation prewar, as he gained his civil pilot's license on 26 September ...
of
Jagdstaffel 28
Royal Württemberg Jagdstaffel 28, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 28, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squa ...
, and then captured.
[
]
Postwar life
On 26 July 1919, Richards was transferred to the unemployed list of the Royal Air Force.
As of 2 April 1948, Richards is referred to in Australian government papers as living at 26 Weewanda Street, Glenelg. He subsequently died in Glenelg on 28 March 1973.[
]
Honors and awards
Military Cross (MC)
2nd Lt. Cecil Roy Richards, R.F.C., Spec. Res.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when on offensive patrols in attacking and shooting down hostile machines. On one occasion he shot down four in one day, displaying great dash and a fine offensive spirit.[(''The London Gazette'', 4 January 1921]
Retrieved on 17 March 2010.
Sources of information
References
* ''Pusher Aces of World War 1'' Jon Guttman, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Pub Co, 2009. , .
1893 births
1973 deaths
Australian World War I flying aces
Royal Flying Corps soldiers
Recipients of the Military Cross
People from Victoria (state)
Australian military personnel of World War I
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